Hanr3...
Well I tried to be diligent in my work and it may have paid off! Taking
your advice and looking into any and all variations...I came up with
this.
Let me see if I can explain this...
I have 2 workbooks; 1st workbook contains sheets, "Summary and Market",
The 2nd has a single sheet, m1.htm.
Now in the 1.htm sheet the store # and question can be repeated
multiple times...That is where the problem was...

On the summary sheet I have one unique store number in column C; and
One unique Question in each column.
Now, for the workbook named m1.htm I have the store numbers in column
A. The store number can be repeated multiple times. Also, in m1.htm I
have in column E (notated by the 4) the answer to the question that I
need.

=if(INDEX('[Market]Market '!C:C,MATCH(Summary!$C37,'[Market]Market
'!$A:$A,0))="",IF(ISERROR(OFFSET(m1.htm!$A$1,MATCH ($C37,m1.htm!$A:$A,0)-1,4)),"",OFFSET(m1.htm!$A$1,MATCH($C37,m1.htm!$A:$ A,0)-1,4)),"Inactive")

I have gone through the numbers and this seems to work. BUT, and there
is always a but! The way I understand it is this; the first time the
match to the store is made it gives me the answer on the same row...but
should this not be 0 and not the -1? Then as it goes down the column it
goes from 0 to +1, +2 etc?? I have one summary that starts with a -1
then -0, +1, +2. The -1 is on the same row and then moves down the
column...

I thought I would post this back, just in case someone else runs across
this and to ask your help in understanding why this works, 'cause I am
not sure why?!

Thanks for your help and insight on leading me down the right path!


Hans